Sweet, a week late…punctuality is overrated. I wrote this last week and posted on facebook, but I wanted to share here too.Thanksgiving may be over, but the sentiment is always relevant.

– – – – –

This Thanksgiving Day, it may be all-too-easy to dwell on the negative thoughts and feelings, and all the struggles of the past year. But the best part about Thanksgiving, is it gives each and every one of us the chance to take one day to set aside all the troubles. Despite our own personal difficulties, we all have the opportunity to count our blessings today, no matter how seemingly small and inconsequential.

Whether we are surrounded by a loud houseful relatives, or celebrating the day quietly at home or working, we all are loved by our friends and family. Focus on the unity and togetherness.

The overwhelming majority of us have dinner this day, and there are enough compassionate people in our communities who care enough to ensure that no one needs to go hungry today.

We will go to bed tonight without worry that a bomb could be dropped on the roof over our heads. And there is a roof underneath which, for most, it’s warm and dry. Some people can’t say the same.

And due to the valiant sacrifices of our fellow man, we have the freedom to think and say what we want, within moderation of course. The toughest decisions for many are not life and death, but what kind of action figure to buy.

On the things that matter most – our basic needs for food, health, freedom, safety, friendship and family – are pretty good, for the great masses, compared to most everyplace else.

One’s sense of how lucky one is can be a relative thing. Some years we just have to look harder than others to find something to celebrate, but it’s there. May we find satisfaction in the simpler things today, and count our blessings, while hoping for a better tomorrow.

Current designer, future artist, eternal manchild, Ryan "The Superfly" Prast uses his toynerd acumen to delve deep into the profound nuances of life. With a penchant for tiny plastic men and nostalgia of times past, he also enjoys panelology, obscure cultural references, tomfoolery and/or shenanigans, conspiracy theories, and watching his Cubs flush another season down the toilet. And he always keeps his fork when there’s pie.